The Guiding Light of the Lonely
by LordByronMudkippington
Summary: Five short NozoMaki fics, in which small child Maki and small child Nozomi bond over candy and balloons. Maki is a big crybaby and cries a lot. Such a silly tomato. Nozomi has to protect this child. Plus!: Nozomi makes her grand return and Eli turns Maki from red to green. [Art by Nyet-Nyet.]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: So here's another compilation of fics I've written that are too short to be put up on their own. All three of them connect though, as they're about Nozomi and Maki being childhood friends.**

* * *

 **#1: I Want Candy**

Maki didn't want to be here. She had expressed as much to her mother, but the words of a pouting three-year-old never seemed to hold a lot of weight with parents, so off they went anyway. Maybe she was being forced to go, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't make things as difficult as possible.

The other kids at the birthday party were weird, and Maki felt uncomfortable around the birthday girl, a rather excitable ginger whose attentions were, luckily, on many things that weren't Maki. Throughout the entirety of the party, she stood by herself in her little pink dress, trying to find the perfect distance between the annoyingly-loud kids and the questioning adults. Even when her mother would persuade her to go try and make friends, she wouldn't say much more than a 'Hi' before subtly sidling back to her personal spot.

Honestly, trying to talk and make friends with kids she didn't know was a scary thought. Sure, she wouldn't know them until she actually talked to them, but she was intimidated by the sheer amount of people and their big smiles. Why were they so happy? She wished that she could go home. Her stuffed animals would be better companions.

Soon, everyone began to gather around a sturdy tree, where a piñata had been hung for the kids to beat mercilessly. Putting on a blindfold, the birthday girl was handed a bat to whack the poor thing with, though Maki noted that the woman - who must have been the girl's mother - seemed a little bit hesitant to give the bat over. Maybe it was a wise hesitance, since the moment the girl had finished her requisite spins, she immediately lunged forward and nearly slammed it down on someone's arm.

Quickly the parent hauled the birthday girl back and gently turned her in a safer direction. Satisfied, the girl resumed lunging forward, leaping up and smacking the piñata hard, causing a tiny rip in the material. Pulling off the blindfold, she smiled brightly, and for whatever reason Maki noticed that she was missing a couple teeth. She skipped back over to the group and handed the bat off to next person, whose turn was, thankfully, a lot less dangerous.

"Maki dear, don't you want a turn?" Maki jumped in surprise, having been unaware of her mother's approach. Quickly shaking her head, she tried to make herself seem busy by staring at her shoes. "Are you sure, sweetie? I'm sure the other kids would love it if you joined."

"I don't wanna!" Pouting, Maki crossed her arms and glared at her shoes like they had offended her. She hadn't meant to shout, and she did want to go and take a swing at the piñata, but she didn't at the same time. It was complicated. With a nod, her mother left it alone, but the silence only made Maki feel incredibly guilty.

A loud shout sounded from the group, and Maki looked up to see the piñata spilling its guts out on the grass, a wave of children rushing to grab its contents. She watched with nervous trepidation as they all swarmed around the candy, blocking her view of what was going on. Though she wanted to go and try to grab a piece or two as well, it seemed way too dangerous; way too scary. So she stood rooted to the spot, twirling a strand of her hair in order to have something to do.

It took a bit of time, but eventually the crowd dispersed, breaking off to different parts of the party to play and feast on their bounties. Tentatively, Maki made her way to where the piñata lay in ruins, a noble sacrifice to the celebration. Nothing remained on the ground to prove that anything had come out of the giant-sized hole that had brought the papered equine to the ground. With her foot, she pushed its remains over, but nothing came out of that either.

Tears started to prick at the corners of her eyes as Maki stared heartbroken at the ground. Okay, so she hadn't wanted to be pushed and shoved by a bunch of sticky-handed kids, but she had wanted at least one piece of candy. It was only a tiny bite of sugar that was definitely bad for her, but she wanted it, and now her own stubbornness had caused her to miss out. Quickly things went south where her emotions were concerned, and she was unable to stop herself from crying openly, her cheeks becoming soaked and stained with regret.

"Hey, are you okay?" Whipping around in fright, Maki saw through her tears a girl with purple hair tied up in pigtails. Wiping away her tears, she got a glance of the girl's concerned expression before quickly turning away, already embarrassed that someone saw her crying.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" She kept wiping at her eyes with her arm until she was as presentable as possible under the circumstances. When she turned around, she was surprised to find that the girl had stuck her hand out, two pieces of candy in her palm. "Wh-What's this?"

"Take it!" The girl gave her a big smile, shoving her open hand closer. "I got too much and I saw that you didn't get any, so have some." Maki flushed with embarrassment at the confirmation that someone had definitely seen her, but she found it hard to decline the chance to get some candy a second time.

"Th... Th-Thank you," she mumbled, taking the candy and unwrapping one before popping it into her mouth. Still smiling, the other girl took one of her own candies and started to chew on it. They stood there together for a couple minutes, just eating their candy away from the rest of the party. Whoever this girl was, she didn't put Maki on edge like kids her age usually did.

"My name's Nozomi! What's yours?" She was cheerful and kind, and despite having not wanted to go in the first place, Maki found herself regretting what had happened less and less. Her usual frown cracked into a small smile.

"Maki."

* * *

Sitting side by side at one of the tables that had been set up beforehand, Maki and Nozomi enjoyed a piece of cake, one treat that Maki was not going to miss out on. The party was as loud and crowded as before, but with Nozomi by her side and holding up a decent conversation, she felt a lot more at ease. Admittedly, it was nice to have someone to talk to.

"So what's school like?" Being two years older, Nozomi had already gotten to start going to school, something that Maki was curious about.

"It's big and scary!" For emphasis, Nozomi spread her arms wide. "But there's lots of other kids and we get to learn things and read and stuff." Maki nodded as she took another bite of her cake. It sounded really exciting. Her parents had already been preparing her for this, so she was eager to get started with her schooling. "Hey, do you wanna come over and play sometime?"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah! My mom can take us to the park and we can go on the swings and stuff! It's a lot of fun!" Nozomi beamed at Maki, stuffing the rest of the cake in her mouth. "We cn be best fwiends!"

"Friends?" This was a concept that her mother had hoped she'd make at the party, wasn't it? Well, she didn't need friends, but Nozomi was really nice, and the thought of getting to play with her made her happy. Maybe having one friend wouldn't be so bad. Smiling, she nodded. "S-Sure! That'd be fun!" For all the embarrassment and annoyances that had come with the party, the one thing that would stand out was positive: Maki had a friend now.

* * *

 **#2: A Lot of Hot Air**

Maki looked up in anticipation at the strange clown, his hands twisting long, purple and red balloons around like magic. Most kids apparently expressed terror at the sight of a strange man with a painted face, but Maki was already six: too old to be afraid of clowns. Besides, where else would she get an amazing balloon animal?

When he was done, the clown presented Maki her prize: a red and purple balloon panther. Her eyes lit up in happiness as she took it in her hands and hugged it gently, careful not to apply too much pressure. She thanked the man happily as her parents paid him for the work, and then they were off for home, with Maki humming under her breath.

The restaurant they had just left wasn't too far from their home, so the family had decided to walk there, which Maki didn't mind too much. If only they would send a construction crew to fix some of the issues with the sidewalk they were walking on. There were several cracks and parts of the cement jutting out that should be considered rather dangerous, though apparently not dangerous enough for someone to go and fix them.

They were nearly home when those sidewalk issues became a problem. Maki was trying to be careful, but her foot caught the risen concrete despite that and stuck, sending her toppling to the ground. Upon contact, her knee scraped the sidewalk, reddening with a trickle of blood sticking to her skin. However, the stinging pain wasn't what Maki noticed: it was the loud 'popping' sound.

For a moment, Maki felt numb with disbelief. Even with the deflated remains of her once-proud balloon panther clear as day in her hands, she couldn't wrap her head around what had happened. Hadn't it just been fine? Well, before she'd fallen on it, anyway.

"Oh no, Maki dear..." Her mother bent down to give her a hug, but by that time Maki was already crying. Loud, childish sobs shook her body as she still held the ruined balloon in her hands, not even noticing that her knee had been scraped. All she cared about was that she had popped her precious balloon animal, and now she didn't have one.

Her parents eventually coaxed her to continue the trip home, though her pouting and still-falling tears slowed them down to the point where her father carried her the rest of the way. After they got inside, he disinfected and patched up her knee, and though it still stung, Maki didn't really care. When she found herself alone in her room, she grabbed her favorite stuffed teddy bear - Mr. Tom Ato - and cried even harder, sobbing miserably into his soft plush fur.

After some amount of time - she didn't know how long she sat crying in her room - she heard a knock at the door. She looked up, quickly wiping away her tears. "G-Go away!" She wasn't in the mood to talk to her parents: she just wanted to sulk in her room for awhile longer.

"Maki-chaaaan!" That wasn't her parents. Maki blinked in surprise when she recognized that voice.

"N-Nozomi?" The door opened and there she was, looking at Maki with a concerned smile, holding something equally familiar in her hands. "I-Is that..."

"I came over to see if you wanted to play, and your mom told me what happened." Nozomi walked over towards Maki and held out her hands, the same red-and-purple balloon panther held like a heavenly gift in her outstretched palms. "So I went back and got you this!"

"Wh-Why did you do that, though?" Still drying her eyes, Maki stared at Nozomi in utter disbelief, her gaze switching between the balloon animal and Nozomi's cheerful smile.

"Because I knew you'd be sad," was the simple reply she got, the balloon animal pushed closer to her. "And I like it when you smile. You have a great smile after all!"

"J-Jeez, d-don't say it like that!" A blush started to bloom on Maki's face, but it couldn't stop a small smile from appearing as she took the offering and held it even more carefully than before. A swell of warmth rushed through her body, and her smile only grew wider. "Th-Thank you, Nozomi."

Smiling brightly, Nozomi nodded and jumped onto the bed, sitting next to Maki. "No problem, Maki-chan!" Noticing something near them on the bed, Nozomi picked up a tear-stained bear and stared at it curiously. "Why do you have a wet bear, Maki-chan?"

"N-No reason."

* * *

 **#3: Missing You**

Maki sat lonely on her bed, tears welling up in her eyes as her hands shook, grasping a photograph tightly. With much effort, she had pushed one of her bookshelves in front of the door, to make sure that no one came in uninvited. She didn't want anyone intruding on her emotional episode. Only Nozomi seemed to have the power to do that, and she wasn't going to be coming around.

 _"I'm sorry, Maki-chan. My mom and dad are getting transferred again, and..." She sniffed softly, the tears beginning to form._

 _"You're... You're leaving?" Maki just stared with wide eyes as Nozomi nodded slowly, unable to believe it. It felt like she had only just become friends with Nozomi, and now she was moving away. "Y-You don't have to go."_

 _"But my parents-"_

 _"You can stay with me!" It made all the sense in the world to Maki. Her house had plenty of little-used rooms for Nozomi to sleep in. Even if that wasn't possible, she could sleep in Maki's room. She smiled at her own brilliant idea, but it quickly faded when Nozomi shook her head sadly._

 _"My parents wouldn't let me stay here. I have to be with my family."_

 _"But..."_

 _"I'm sorry, Maki-chan." Unable to hide her tears anymore, Nozomi moved forward and hugged Maki tightly. Maki forced herself to return the hug back, trying desperately not to cry as well. They both cried anyway._

Maki had thought that she had shed all her tears, but they came back anew as she gently traced her finger over the photograph in her hand, a picture of her and Nozomi on Maki's first day of school. It wasn't fair: she was only ten and losing her one friend.

Why couldn't Nozomi have asked her parents if she could stay with Maki? Were her parents that unreasonable? Feelings of resentment quickly bubbled up, only to be doused by guilt at what she was even thinking. She was the one being unreasonable, but dammit, _why_? It wasn't fair!

The picture fell from her grasp as she covered her face with her hands, sobbing bitterly into them. "Nozomi... C-Come back..." There weren't any words that could change time, though. Nozomi was gone, and there was nothing she could do to bring her back. She had never felt so alone. "Nozomiii!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** So, I got a couple of requests which allowed me to continue the NozoMack childhood friendship story. They don't have legitimate titles, so I'm gonna be making them up right now.

* * *

 **#4: Welcome Home**

A flash of byzantium took Maki by surprise. It was a color she was not familiar with seeing in the school, but it was one she was all too familiar with. Abandoning her original route to class, she began to run after the mysterious hue, her footsteps echoing in the halls as she hit the brakes hard to avoid smashing into a wall. That same color once again disappeared past a wall, so she set off again after it.

Five years had passed, and still she had not gotten over her best friend - her only friend - moving away. She had cried over it for weeks, and even now she still had issues over what had happened. All she had wanted to do upon starting high school was to try and move on, but the moment she saw even the hint, a ghosting image of her childhood friend, she was off and running after it, no matter how likely it would lead to disappointment.

It was clear whatever she was chasing wasn't going at a speed higher than a comfortable walk, since she was finally able to catch up. There was no way it was real, but there was no mistaking that vibrant purple hair, tied up in those same childish twintails. Even with five years of growth, she would never be able to forget Nozomi.

Reaching out, she grabbed onto the girl's shoulder and pulled her back, forcing her to turn around. She had definitely changed physically since they were kids, but Maki automatically recognized those sparkling emeralds. "N-Nozomi?"

"Maki-chan?" Nozomi seemed just as surprised, though a flash of guilt ran through her eyes. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"I saw you," she panted out, only now realizing how out of breath all that running had made her. "Y-You're here... Oh my God, you're here." Now it was finally hitting her: Nozomi was here, right in front of her. The only friend she had ever had was standing right there and only now she knew it about it. "Wh-Why are you here? You came back, and... and you didn't tell me. You..." Now she was confused. Why did she not know? Nozomi had always told her everything.

For once, Nozomi was silent, which worried Maki. The bell rung, and people started to pass by them on the way to class, but she stayed rooted to the spot, looking at Nozomi with a sick feeling starting to settle in her stomach. Was it... deliberate? Was Nozomi intentionally trying to ignore her? "Don't ignore me, Nozomi." Still she said nothing. "Nozomi!"

"I thought you had moved on."

"Wh-What?"

"You were mad when I had to leave." Continuing the theme of 'this does not usually happen', Nozomi looked somewhat embarrassed, only occasionally glancing at Maki's stunned expression. "You... told me you hated me." **Oh.** "When we moved back, I really wanted to see you, but I... I didn't think you'd want to see me." So that was the reason. Nozomi's eyes widened as she suddenly reached forward and started wiping at Maki's eyes, alerting her to the fact that she had started to cry. "M-Maki-chan?"

"I can't believe you believed me!" Maki stamped her foot angrily, fresh tears falling to replace the previous ones. "I was angry!" Luckily, classes had already started. Unlucky for her attendance record, but lucky in that it kept anyone from hanging around and watching her shout and cry. "I-I didn't know what to do!"

Without warning, she wrapped a surprised Nozomi in a tight hug, hiding her tears on a tensed shoulder. "I-I know it wasn't your fault, but you left! A-And I was alone... I needed you!" Harsh sobs wracked her body as Nozomi's arms were gently placed around her, pulling her equally into the embrace. "I-I missed you so much..."

"Oh Maki-chan," Nozomi whispered, smiling as she hugged Maki. "You're still my little crybaby, aren't you?"

"Sh-Shut up," she muttered, though there wasn't any bite in those words. Nozomi laughed softly, neither of them willing to end their embrace. "P-Please... Please don't leave me again."

"Never." This was worth missing class for. Hearing Nozomi's voice in her ears, being able to see her, to feel her: it felt so familiar, so natural. It chased away Maki's loneliness, and she didn't want to let go of the feeling. "I'm never leaving you, Maki-chan."

* * *

 **#5: Hey Jealousy**

The last thing she wanted to do was give in to her wayward emotions. Problem was, it was pure emotion when it came to Nozomi. First was the slow shattering of her shell when she had befriended the quirky girl at a birthday party, then the feelings of great loss when she'd had to move away. After that was a return to surprise and elation when she'd come back. Maki had thought that things were going to be better, like they'd used to be. Her best friend was back, and now things could go back to normal. She hadn't expected that it wasn't just her shell that Nozomi would shatter, but her heart.

It seemed that Nozomi had made a new friend very quickly upon coming back to town. Her name was Eli, and it wasn't long before that name felt sickening on Maki's tongue. She knew that it was alright for Nozomi to have other friends. It was great, even. However, it didn't stop her from feeling jealous. She had been friends with Nozomi for twelve years - twelve! - yet whenever the three of them hung out together, she always felt like third wheel. It wasn't fair.

It wasn't that she didn't understand Eli's appeal. She was interesting, smart, beautiful. Hell, she looked like a damn model. Maki had never seen her around before, but apparently she was easy to get along with, and as the fair and wise student council president, other students felt alright with going to her with advice. That wasn't the kind of person Maki was. Sure, she was smart, but she was certainly not easy to get along with. Other students were more likely to back away from her perpetual frown, and whenever she looked at herself in the mirror, she knew that she could never compare to Eli in the looks department. Even thinking about the blonde now made her sick.

Her mood was not very stabilized when Nozomi asked her to have dinner, and knowing that Eli would be going as well only served to worsen things. However, she always had trouble saying no to her friend, so she said yes, feeling stupid the entire way there. Sitting at the opposite side of the table from them didn't make things better. Her stomach churned uncomfortably as she watched Nozomi and Eli chat like lifelong friends, laughing so easily. God, it was like they were flirting. Maki felt too sick to eat, but to keep up appearances she ordered something light.

She wanted to say something, but she felt too awkward to try and enter their conversation. They seemed to be doing just fine without her anyway. "Maki-chan, why are you glaring at Elicchi?"

"Eli...cchi?" Maki blinked, confused at first, until her no longer glaring gaze fell on Eli. Elicchi? She had already given her a nickname? Her hand started to shake, noticeably enough to get her concerned looks from the two lovebirds. It was nauseating. This was wrong: this was unfair. Eli had _just_ become Nozomi's friend, and now it was like they were practically married. What about her? Why? Why? Why?

"Maki-chan? Are you alright?" The glass in Maki's hand shattered, causing Nozomi to jump and cry out in surprise. Shards of glass scratched at her hands, freeing trickles of blood to run down her palm, but she didn't even notice. There was no pain: only white-hot anger.

"I'm fine!" She stood up suddenly, knocking her chair over and causing many pairs of eyes to look in their direction. It wasn't very proper or polite, but at that moment Maki couldn't care less.

"Maki, calm down. People are staring." Hearing Eli tell her to calm down broke down any last barriers of self-restraint Maki had left. She threw down the remains of the glass onto the table and screamed, a banshee-like shriek that served as a placeholder until actual words decided to leave her lips.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Don't talk to me, you vapid harlot!" Anger had consumed all of her better judgement, leaving her screaming at a clearly-embarrassed Eli while everyone got to witness the Nishikino heiress' complete and utter meltdown. "You think you can just come here and, and just be Nozomi's best friend! What's wrong with you?! What did I do to you?! I was here first, dammit! Don't ignore me!"

"M-Maki-chan, p-please calm down." Nozomi felt embarrassed and worried, shocked at watching her best friend screaming at Eli, who didn't even know how to respond to what she was being accused of. Maki could feel herself losing steam, and she didn't want to start bawling in front of Nozomi and Eli. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a fistful of cash and threw it on the table. Never mind that it was way too much for their meal, even for all three combined: she didn't want to be here anymore.

"What do you care?" She choked out, feeling a much more miserable emotion beginning to wash over her anger. "A-All you want is _Elicchi_. Marry her if you want her so bad!" Before either of them could stop her, Maki rushed out of the restaurant, refusing to stop running until she made it home. Unfortunately, she ran out of breath before reaching home, so she was forced to stop at the park. Out of breath and blinded by tears, she collapsed against a tree and let herself slide uselessly to the ground, no longer having the strength to care who saw her.

Hugging her knees up to her chest, she hid her face against them and sobbed loudly and bitterly. Anger coursed through her veins, only to be washed away by the sting of misery. Now it was real: she had lost everything. All she had was Nozomi, and she'd lost her to Eli. She was all alone now. The sound of her phone ringing broke through her crying, and she reluctantly grabbed for it, a wave of nausea hitting her when she realized who was calling. She didn't want to answer, but something inside her made her press the 'accept call' button. "L-Leave me alone!"

"Maki-chan, where are you?" Of course Nozomi would pretend to care. Why would she pretend to care? Maki didn't understand, and she wasn't in the right state of mind to try and understand.

"N-None of your business!" The line went silent for a moment as Maki tried - and failed - to mask her crying, with Nozomi on the other end straining to hear what sounded like construction.

"Don't go anywhere, Maki-chan. I'm coming over." Maki hung up after that, dropping her phone in the grass and resuming her uncontrollable sobbing. No one could rile up her emotions like Nozomi, and now that power had allowed her to be hurt. Why had she allowed herself to get so close to anyone? She was never going to be good enough for Nozomi.

She didn't know how much time had passed since she'd collapsed against the tree, but the sound of footsteps reached her ears. There was no need to look up at the sound: she knew who it would be, and she didn't want to talk to her. Still, that didn't stop Nozomi from coming over anyway, her heavy breathing a familiar sound as she hunched over and grabbed Maki's shoulder. "Maki-chan, why did you run- Oh... Oh no..." The blood from her hand had stained her shirt, and it still remained on her skin, a reminder of her foolish actions. "Oh... don't cry..." Nozomi pulled Maki into a tight embrace, but it didn't stop her from crying.

"G-Go away, Nozomi." That didn't stop her from staying. Apparently neither of them could get the other to do what they wanted. Shame was the new feeling flooding Maki's insides as she sobbed against Nozomi's shoulder, unable to turn off the emotions that now reigned supreme over her. She hated how she was acting, but she was mad: mad at Nozomi, mad at Eli, mad at herself. Why did this have to be so complicated?

"Maki-chan, do you..." Nozomi seemed hesitant to voice her question, but it ended up slipping out. "Do you hate Eli?" She didn't get an answer, which was confirmation enough. Another sick feeling hit Maki like a brick: the sheer fact that she could _hate_ someone just for taking Nozomi's attention sounded so petty. Was she really that horrible of a person? "Do you hate me too?"

"N-No!" Maki shot up in an instant, tears staining her cheeks as she shuddered in horror at the implication. "I-I would never hate you!" There was nothing in this world that could make her hate Nozomi. She was Maki's only friend, her best friend. She... she loved her. There wasn't any way to save face anymore: no good way to explain why she had acted like such a petulant child. Maybe it didn't matter that she didn't hate Nozomi: maybe Nozomi hated her instead.

They sat there quietly for a few minutes, with Maki wiping her eyes only for fresh tears to ruin her handiwork. Occasionally Nozomi would take charge of making her presentable, giving her a sad and worried look. It made her feel worse. "I... I hate Eli." Nozomi's eyes widened in surprise, but now the floodgates were open and the truth started to spill out unabated. Tears fell once more from her eyes as she found herself once again unable to hide her truth from the one person she trusted above all others.

"I hate Eli! Sh-She stole you from me, a-and you're _my_ friend! I don't have anyone else, a-and it's not fair! It's not fair..." Her shoulders shook as she tried to regain her composure, but Nozomi didn't interrupt her. She just held Maki close and allowed her a chance to get everything out, rocking her trembling body gently within her arms. "Y-You spend all your time with her, and you d-don't care about me anymore. I-I'm just a third wheel!" She ran out of accusations to throw at Nozomi, and so she returned to just crying.

"Maki-chan... I'm so sorry. I should've noticed sooner." She kept rocking Maki in her arms, her eyes starting to shine with unshed tears. "I was stupid to think that you wouldn't be affected by me spending all this time with Elicchi."

"Y-You're not stupid-" Maki tried to protest, but Nozomi shut her down quickly.

"Yes I am stupid, Maki-chan. Elicchi's my friend, but you're my best friend. We've been together through so much, and I never should've allowed you to start slipping away. You mean so much to me, and that's never going to change. I love you, Maki-chan." Maki's wet eyes widened in shock, then her lip jutted out in a slight pout.

"H-Hey, I was supposed to say I love you first. I was about to say it..." Nozomi laughed at the sudden mood change, relief evident on her face. Pulling Maki into a big hug, they ended up locking eyes, and then their lips inevitably met. Their kiss was slow and wet from Maki's tears, a mere testing of the waters, but it meant more than anything to Maki. Her first kiss, with her first friend. Suddenly everything felt... better.

"I love you too, Nozomi." Maki moved forward again, eager to get her second kiss from the girl who held her heart. "I-I love you so much." It felt so good to say it, and it felt so good to have it reciprocated. She could feel the anger and misery fading from her body, being replaced by love and relief. There was nothing else she wanted to do more than sit there and lay in Nozomi's arms all night. For the first time in years, she truly felt that things were going to be alright. Seeing Nozomi looking at her with such heartfelt love, she smiled and sealed her happiness with a kiss.


End file.
